After pointing out how, if Michael Sam becomes the NFL’s first openly gay player, it will be the biggest civil rights advance since the NFL welcomed their first “openly bad player” — Tebow — Jon Stewart goes directly for the jugular toward anonymous comments from NFLers who think that an openly gay player would be too “distracting” or “controversial.” A well-placed Michael Vick joke happens. You should watch.

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Ben in oaklandFebruary 12, 2014 at 11:57 am -

My letter published in today’s chronicle. Two ni three weeks! I’m on a roll!

Congratulations to Michael Sam for coming out at this crucial juncture in his career. Standing up for himself as a proud gay man and football star, he shows far more class and bravery than those disparaging him as a distraction to football’s real goals: making money, and supporting the mythos of masculinity.

We gay men are the whipping boys of this mythology, someone for “real men” to look down on as not “really” men. Imagine a gay man who can compete in the masculinity-defining fields of sport and strength, and still be gay, proud of it, and just as much a man as anyone, maybe even bigger, stronger, and faster. How threatening is THAT to this fragile thing called masculinity?

This isn’t about football or gay men sharing locker rooms. We already do, and the same nonsense was argued against repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is about the fears engendered and supported by the mythos of masculinity, fears that heterosexual men won’t measure up to the myth, fears that mythologically-not-masculine gay men will surpass them, making them less than men, and perhaps treating heterosexual men exactly as the latter frequently treat women.

And how frightening is THAT?

Priya LynnFebruary 12, 2014 at 12:45 pm -

Way to go, Ben – outstanding. I’m not surprised they chose to publish it.

Masculinity is such a delicate little flower. Question it with some straight men, and you’re likely to get a knife…

or ten in the back.

I remember in “The naked Civil Servant” when Quentin Crisp confronted a bunch of gay bashing thugs. I don’t remember the exact comment, but it was something like, “And then maybe you’ll be able to figure out which one of you is queer!”

Those poor straight boys erupted into an orgy of violence.

Ben in oaklandFebruary 12, 2014 at 12:51 pm -

Thanks. I like writing letters to the Chronicle. they have a 200 word limit, and it is a good exercise in concision.

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